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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7854685" data-attributes="member: 16069">We D&D.Session #46 The Rise of Tiamat #05b Downtime in Waterdeep & the Lighthouse Brothers of the First Light.Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 9Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 9Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 9Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 9&Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 9Secondary PCs.Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on.Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8This is session #46 of our game, but only session #05b of The Rise of Tiamat scenario.The PCs have recovered Varram the White from the Tomb of Diderius, the Dragon Cultist Dwarf has lost his White Dragon mask- possibly stolen by an extraplanar creature- favourite is either a Devil or a Demon.The PCs are back in Waterdeep- I wanted the adventure at the beginning to be less hectic, not too fast-paced, we’ll get to that later when it’s encounter after encounter.And so, we decided to have two-and-a-half tenday’s worth of downtime activities (that’s 25 days for those bad at maths- five days on the Lighthouse returning to Waterdeep, and twenty days in the city) for each PC.Oh, but just to note Varram the White is, of course, handed over to the proper authorities- the Harpers as it happens.And so, for this series of activities the rules are the PCs can make a maximum of five (mostly different) skill checks during their downtime (with associated roleplaying), each skill check (success or failure) will allow the PC/Player (and me, your glorious DM) to craft a little more of their story.We started these activities in the session but continued with several of them via e-mail, they got complicated in places- and some folk were less keen to divulge their secrets (you’ll see below).It went a little like this-Lady Violet Spoon.Hotlips (Halfling Rogue) decides to make a new persona for herself, this in light of her new Level 9 Rogue feature- Infiltration Expertise, and so Lady Violet Spoon, young(-ish) dashing and beautiful, the debutante Halfling heiress to the Spoon fortune (her family hold the patent for the spoon) is created. Hotlip’s downtime (in Waterdeep) is spent, well… spending madly on new clothes and the finer things in life. Lady Spoon with her rugged Ogre bodyguard (Gary) attempts (rather well- but see below) to inveigle themselves in to the various parties and soirees of the gentry of Waterdeep. The city is in flux of course, the terrible non-sound keeps… well, not-sounding (the Draakhorn). Hotlips did a little Investigating for her new persona, and then got on with a few mostly social skills checks to see how well her subterfuge plays. The answer is badly, but… and this is a big- but, the younger members of the moneyed set in Waterdeep are happy to play along- if Hotlips Houlihan wants to pretend to be Lady Violet Spoon, then… why not?  Remember Hotlips, during her last downtime, had already got herself noticed by being squired around the city by Gary the Ogre, she also has a habit (exhibited even in game) of talking about herself a) all of the time, and b) in glowing terms- all of the time. So, the Infiltration Expertise experience is not a roaring success, but Hotlips has a great time of it anyway, and she and Gary are extended open invitations to any future highborn social events.That’s it- no investigations of Cult activities for the Halfling Rogue, just a whirl of social engagements.Watt Detective Work.Watt (Human Bard) spends his downtime in Waterdeep finding things out, have you noticed that Jackie (playing Watt) has started taking the lead more often- we have around the gaming table. So, Jackie/Watt is quite obviously in to this (this being D&D) she’s determined to do better (her words) in this the second half of the adventure.Watt goes detecting- back under cover, as a Dragon Cultist of course, and he does indeed find things out- including the location of a large cell of active (scratch that- fervent) Cultists with a base in the Waterdeep sewers (ain’t it always the way). He also learns the names of a couple of the leader types and even snakes his way in to the lower echelons of the management committee- as a scribe, no less.Me and Jackie continue with Watt’s downtime adventures via e-mail, I’ll not say too much for now because… well, the PCs are now going to be visiting with the Dragon Cultists in the sewers, in a later encounter.That’s enough for now- except to say the Cultists in Waterdeep are really starting to act up- they’re armed and ready for insurrection.Oh, and Watt gets promoted.Harper Rank 3 = Brightcandle (Stalwart).Lux Burns the Candle at both ends- as usual.As previously Lux (Human Warlock) spends her downtime in pursuit of more power and/or information for herself, in particular the Warlock choses to investigate the extraplanar powers which may (or may not) have been involved in stealing the White Dragon mask from Varram the White.A combination of sources of information are put to the test by Lux- the Harpers (she plays them like a fiddle), the Black Network (the Zhent are very keen to help, and to gather more information), the Church of Lathander (she’s a worshipper, remember) and of course Lux’s own shadowy Undying patron. All sources are enquired of…The result of Lux’s networking is a single name- Lord Volmer, a Bone Devil diplomat. Lord V is happy to meet with Lux at some point in the near future, at a place and a time of her choosing, to this end the Warlock is given access to Fast Eddie (an Imp messenger-boy) who sets up home in Lux’s room on the Lighthouse.Lux is very happy.The DM is happier still- I worked this story very well to get the Bone Devil from the Devilish Demands encounter in to play.Note, Lux also tried to contact Sandesyl, the Dracolich obsessed Cult Vampire she (sorta) befriended in the last adventure, this through agents of the Black Network- alas the Vampire is otherwise engaged (but she’ll be back later). In translation Lux rolled low on this particular check.More of Lord Volmer later.Sgt Bobby’s goes Airborne.Nearly.Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter) spends his entire downtime period learning how to ride the Wyverns that are stabled on the Lighthouse. Actually, that’s what he tries to do- but there’s no-one about to help him, and he doesn’t think to ask around elsewhere (like in Waterdeep, Pete!). So, he struggles with it- at the end of the downtime the Fighter can cling-on to the flying beasts okay, but he’s not cracked the steering lark. The Wyverns are of course suitably terrified of the big feller (his Intimidate and Athletics checks to boss the beasts about are all high). It’s a shame his Handle Animal (et al) checks are so bad- he doesn’t manage to break a ‘10’.So, more of the same during a later patch of downtime for Sgt B, he’s not got the swing of things yet- but a great idea from the big guy.Lummins, Master of the Lighthouse.The Priest of Lathander, the Cloud Giant couples’ new best friend, spends the entire twenty-five days continuing to gain mastery of the flying ice castle. Simple as, and success.He also locates and employs a clutch of Gnomes in Waterdeep to fit the Farseer of Illusk on to the top level of the newly constructed ice tower, built by the two Stone Giants (Wiglof & Hulda) in conjunction with Blagothkus.Rob (who plays Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric)) actually spent the last forty or so minutes of the session ‘re-doing’ (his word) all of his spells- basically sorting through them again to check what he’s got and what he’s going to need in the future.It’s kinda daunting the number of spell choices the Cleric has to make.So, Lummins masters all of the skills of the Lighthouse, and the Farseer is fitted- and can now be used to pinpoint activity on the surface, even from up high- which will in due course prove very handy.That then is the end of the session (and the extended e-mails), and very neatly done- downtime over and the PCs are ready for their next adventure, which is fortunate really- because here it comes… next time.</blockquote>

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